Combined fireplace form and damper construction



v 1366- 1934- v E. H. RICHARDSON ,9

COMBINED FIREPLACE FORM AND DAMPER CONSTRUCTION Filed July'20, 1951 ll IPatented Dec. 4, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINED FIREPLACEFORM. AND DAMPER. CONSTRUCTION Eri H. Richardson, Palo Alto, Calif.

Application July 20, 1931, Serial No. 552,036 I 2 Claims.

are used to assist the mason or brick-layer to con-' struct the fireplace, so as to provide a construction that is highly efiicient inoperation. As .described in said application the form forms a part ofthe fire place when it is completed; that is, it remains in position inthe brickwork or masonry, and constitutes a lining for the hood of thefire place. In addition, said form serves to provide a mounting for thedamper that is to control the area of the throat opening insaid hood, sothat the extent of such opening is determined by the form.

This invention constitutes an improvement upon the constructiondisclosed in the application just referred to, and aims to provide afire place form, for the purpose just stated, that may be constructedand sold at a lower cost than the formof the application just referredto, and aims further, to provide an improved arrangement for supportingthe damper'that constitutesa part of the form, which, as abovestated, inactual use is for the purpose of lining the hood of the fire place afterthe latter has been completed. v

This invention also aims to provide fireplace forms that may beconstructed with a minimum of waste of sheet material and that mayreadily be bent into the form necessary to constitute the ends of thehood of the fireplace opening A primary object of the invention is,accordingly, to simplify the constructionin my application just referredto without sacrificing any advantages inherent in the method ofconstructing a fireplace in accordance with the disclosure of thatapplication. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a damper arrangement forthe fireplace form, in

which the damper is mounted so that it is resili'ently held in anyposition in which it may be adjusted by the fireplace attendant, givingan in finite possible number of such positions and facilitating theadjustment of the damper.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fireplace form,including a damper operatively connected to the end bearings of the formand provided with means for limiting the adjustment of the damper bladeso that the throat aperture in the hood of the fireplace may bemaintained at a predetermined point, or a point smaller than saidpredetermined amount, to the end that the attendant of the fireplacecannot provide a throat opening or smoke exit in excess of thatnecessary tothe attainment of the best results so that wasting. of fuelmay be avoided and all available Warm air retained in the rooms.

A further object of the invention is to provide fireplace formsincluding a metallic element that extends between the ends of the formand defines the inner edge of the throat opening in said. form, and thatmay be utilized to support as well as lap, the top rows of the brickvthat constitute the fire back. of said fireplace; thereby more clearlyindicating, to the: mason the exact place to which he must direct hisWork and saving cutting of material to" develop the exact top.

levels of the fire back.

Still further objects of the invention will appear as a description.thereof proceeds with ref erence to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 shows a vertical sectional view through a fireplace showing apreferred form of fireplace form in position in the hood of thefireplace and embodying a preferred form of my damper arrangement.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectiontaken on the planeindicated by. the line2--2 in Figure 1.

Figure 2A: is a fragmentary transverse section similar to Figure 2, butshowing a modifiedarrangement for resiliently holding the damper bladein position.

Figure 2B is a plan view of thespring of Figure 2A..

Figure 3' is. a vertical section showing a modified form of fireplaceform and another damper arrangement therefor..

Figure 3A is a fragmentary .view showing a modification of the form ofthe invention shown in Figure 3,. but. showing another way of varyingthe position of the stopor stops" to limit the swinging movement of thedamper.

Figure 4 shows how the end plates of the improved. fireplace form may becut from an elongatedsheet of metal of uniform width without substantialwaste.

Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view showing the manner of connectingan end plate and the front plate of the form.

"Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the severalfigures.

The numeral 10 indicates the back wall'of a fireplace, ll a sidethereof, and 12 the top of the fireplace opening. In order that personsunskilled in the correct proportioning of a fireplace opening or outletmay construct a fireplace having a high degree of operating efiiciency,this invention aims to provide a fireplace form in the form of a sheetmetal structure, including sheet-metal end plates 13, which serve asliners for the ends of the hood of the fireplace, and a front sheet 14,which interconnects the end plates 13 of said form. The

bricklayer or mason builds the fireplace about plates and the frontplates, which plates determine the size of the hood, the width of thethroat, and the width of the soffit of the fireplace.

Referring to the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2, the endplates 13 are cut from a continuous strip of sheet metal of uniformwidth with small waste, in the manner illustrated in Figure 4. The stripshown in this figure is divided into sections by lines 15, that extendat right angles to the sides 16 of the strip. Each'sectlon thus formedis divided into two parts by a line 17 that is inclined with respect tothe sides of the strip. The corners of the polygonal figures thus formedare cut off at lines designated by 18, which corners thus cut offrepresent the only waste of the strip of material from which the endplates are formed.

Each end plate, formed as just described, is bent on a line 20'toprovide a bottom bearing flange 21', Figure 2, that, in use, is embeddedin the masonry constituting the side of the fireplace. Each flange isalso perforated as indicated at 22 fora purpose presently to bedescribed.

The edge of the blank containing said perfora tions is turned at rightangles with respect to the body portions on the line 23, the flange 21thus formed being bent in a direction opposite from the flange 21'. Theend plates just described constitute a sheet metal lining for the endsof the hood of the fireplace. In order to secure said ends together afront plate 24 is provided, said plate being constructed of sheet metaland provided with flanges25' and 26' extending in the same directionwith respect to the body thereof. The flange25' is embedded in the wallconstituting the front wall of the hood of the fireplace, while theflange 26' is made of a width corresponding to the correct soflit of thefront of the fireplace to provide a fireplace hood that is correctlypositioned inwardly with respect to the fireplace opening providing ashallow sofiit and thereby increasing the depth of fireplaces built withthis form.-

The front plate 24 underlaps the flange 21 provided by bending each endplate on. the line 20, and sufficiently shorter to allow expansionbetween the end plates. The flange 21 is secured by rivets 26 that passthrough the openings 22 above referred to, (Fig. 5) to the edges'of thefront plate 24. Said openings may be elongated to permit slight relativemovement between the flange and plate uponexpansion and contraction.

The front plate 24:and the end plates 13 may be formed as an integralstructure by stamping said front and endplates from a sheet of metal ofappropriate width. In this event, front plate 24 and end plates 13 wouldbe stamped from a single sheet of material and then suitablybent toproduce the final hood structure,

Journaled to each of the end plates '13 is a shaft for the damper. Thedamper blade 28, preferably constructed of sheet metal is provided withan outwardly flaring edge 29 and is secured, in any convenient manner,rigidly to the shaft 27, adjacent the opposite or bottom edge 30thereof. This may be accomplished by bending said edge 30 around theshaft 27, or by Welding or otherwise rigidly attaching said edge to saidshaft. The. shaft 2'7 may consist simply of two short shafts attached asjust described to the damper blade, or the shaft may be formed bypartially cutting the blade parallel to the end thereof and rolling theseparated portions 'of the blade to provide integral hollow shaftsections. The damper 28 is provided with a projection 31 centerminimizing down extending at right angles to the body thereof, for apurpose later to be described.

In order that the damper may remain in any of its adjusted positions,the shaft 27 adjacent one, or both, ends thereof is extended beyond theend plate 13 and surrounded by a spring 31 in the form of a relativelysmall coil spring, or in the form of a spring washer, as may be desired,which spring is put under compression by means of a nut 32 which may bethreaded on the adjacent end of said shaft. Suitable washers 33, tofacilitate movement of the blade are provided adjacent the oppositesides of the end plate 13.

If desired, the arrangement shown in Figures 2A and 23 may be employedto resiliently maintain the damper in any of its adjusted positions. Asshown in these figures a spring in the form of a disk 31a preferably.made of chrome molybdenum steel, may be used. Thecenter of said disk israised, as shown at 3112. The top 310 of the raised portion is flattenedand perforated at 3101 to freely receive the protruding threaded end ofshaft 27. A nut 32a is welded or otherwise suitably attached to theflattened portion 310. Said nut is threaded on shaft 27 and as it isthreaded along said shaft the edges of the disk contact with plate 13and further movement of the nut compresses the raised portion of thedisk 3101., which is yieldable and resilient. Variable friction is thusset up resisting the free movement of the damper. A look nut 33a is ap--plied to shaft 2'7 after the nut 32! is adjusted to provide the properdegree of frictional resistance to the free movement of the damper.

The shaft 2'7 is so mounted with respect to the end plate that the upperedge of the fireback 34 of the fireplace will, when the fireplace isproperly constructed, be brought up to said shaft. The width of saidfireback is then formed so that it corresponds at the top, below theblade approximately to the length of the projection 31 ofv the damperwhen the latter is in closed position. In this manner, the formdefinitely determines the width of the throat opening of the fireplace,and enables a person unskilled in the construction of fireplaces toprovide an arrange- 'ment' that will give very'satisfactory and eflicient. results. The projection 31, before referred to, also constitutesa stop to limit the turning movement of the damper toward its closedposition. Said projection may become narrowerin width from each side ofthe fireplace toward the draughts and saving heat. I

In order to adjust the damper a curved arm the drawing, and the endthereof is shaped preferably'in the form of a loop 38 constituting thehandle of the damper operating arm.

It is important to the efficient operation of a fireplace that themovement of the damper toward its open position be limited to the endthat the gases be conducted to theflue inan efficient manner, and thatthe throat aperture be accurately proportioned to the opening height ofeach fireplace. To this end the arm is provided with an adjustable stop39, threaded as shown at 40 through said arm, said stop being in theform of a bolt that may be ad justed so as to definitely determine theextreme open position of the damper by engagement of the end thereofwith the inside of the front plate 24 of the fireplace form, therebyreducing each throat to a minimum. With the parts disposed in thepositions in which they are shown in Figure 1, damper 28 is disposed inits fully open position for the reason that the stop member is adjustedto give a maximum damper opening, i. e., the end of bolt 39 is flushwith the face of member 35, thus allowing member 35 to directly contactfront plate member 24.

In the arrangement just described the spring or springs 31' or 3111 willmaintain the damper in any adjusted position frictionally. This avoidsthe necessity for the use of stops in the form of a multiplicity ofteeth to hold the damper in any of a number of adjusted positions. Suchteeth are frequently diificult to disengage so that the arrangement justdescribed greatly facilitates the adjustment of the damper in aninfinite variety of throat adjustments, while at .the same timeproviding a construction that can be very cheaply and economicallymanufactured and sold.

In the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, theend plates 13 are cut away, as indicated at 41, and provided with aninwardly extending flange 42- to which is secured as by a rivet 43, aleg 44 of an angle iron 45, the adjacent leg 46 of which is intended tolap the top of the fireback. This arrangement further facilitates thebuilding of a fireplace, indicating the correct proportions and relationof parts to a person unskilled in the business of constructingfireplaces, since the fireback is brought up to the angle iron 44 andthe corner 45 thereof is relied upon to define the edge of the throatopening in the hood of the fireplace. Said angle iron 45 makes itunnecessary that the mason or bricklayer do any cutting of the masonryor brick work to bring the fireback to the exact height, inasmuch as itis immaterial whether said masonry or brick work terminates immediatelyunder the angle of the legs 46 of the angle iron, or is disposedrelatively slightly below said angle. The angle iron construction justdescribed may. also be used in the form of the invention shown in Figure1.

In the form of invention of Fig. 3 the damper is pivotally attached inthe end plates, without the use of thesprings to frictionally hold it inits adjusted position, to which reference was above made. A positivedamper holdermeans is provided consisting of an arm or lever 4'7pivotally attached to a rigid projection 48 from the damper blade 28.The lever orarm-47 extends through an opening in a stirrup 49 rigidlysecured, as by a rivet 50, to the inside of the front plate 14. Said armor lever 47 is provided with a multiplicity of equally spaced notches51, any one of which may engage the portion of the stirrup 49 adjacentto the opening therein through which said arm passes to hold the damperin any one of its adjusted positions. Said lever or arm 47 is providedwith a handle 52 to facilitate its manipulation.

In order that the damper may not be opened beyond a predetermined properamount an adjustable stop 52' may be provided on one or both end plates.Said stop 52 may be adjusted by moving the bolt that attaches it to saidend plate in the curved slot 53 to bring it into the desired positionfor the particular fireplace. If desired, the stop 52 may be omitted anda stop 54 may be provided on said handle 47, said stop 54, may beadjusted in a slot 55 provided in said lever to bring it into theposition desired so as to properly limit the amount of opening movementof the damper blade 28. This arrangement makes possible the adjustmentof the throat aperture without moving the blade from one pair of endplate bearing holes toanother, and may be adjusted from inside thefireplace.

If desired, the end plates of Figure 3 may be provided with severalbearings for the damper shaft and one or several series of spacedopenings to receive th estop 52' or any equivalent stop. The preferredarrangement of this kind is illustrated in Figure 3A. This arrangementis used when the same end plate is used for fireplaces having lowopenings, such as 34 inches or less, as well as for fireplaces havinghigh openings, such as 36" or higher. When used for low openings, theshaft 27 may be positioned in bearing opening 27a. When used in afireplace having a high opening the bearing opening 271) receives thedamper shaft 2'7. A series of openings 270 are provided, any one ofwhich may receive the stop 52 to limit the width of the throat openingof the fireplace, when used in low opening fireplaces, while anotherseries of holes 2711 provide further alternative locations for said stopwhen the end plate is used for fireplaces having high openings, and whenthe damper swings about the-shaft positioned in opening 271). Theopenings of both series of openings 27c and 27d are arranged for variousheights of fireplace openings, and indicia on the form or separateinstructions may be furnished those installing the fireplace so that thestops may be properly positioned for the particular height of thefireplace opening.

The invention may be embodied in other spe-'- cific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Thepresent embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A fireplaceform comprising end plates and a front plate adapted toform the side and front walls of the fireplace throat; said end platesand front plate being interconnected; relatively narrow limiting meanscarried by said end plates in predetermined spaced relation to the rearof said front plate and forming the sole rear structure of said form,whereby the extent to which the fireback is to be carried upwardly andforwardly to determine the rear wall of the throat and the area of thethroat opening is determined by said limiting means.

2. A fireplace form comprising end plates and a front plate adapted toform the side and front walls of the fireplace throat; said end platesand front plate being interconnected; relatively narrow limiting meanscarried by said end plates in predetermined spaced relation to the rearof said front plate and forming the sole rear structure of said form,whereby the extent to which the fireback is to be carried upwardly andforwardly to determine the rear wall of the throat and the area of thethroat opening is determined by said limiting means, and a damperadapted to vary the passage of the draft through said throat opening.

ERI H. RICHARDSON.

